Lee's Redemption
by dionysianDaydream
Summary: ATLA and Naruto share the same universe in this kid's quirky quest to shed a few pounds.


It began when a lone woman waddled through the front gate of the Hidden Leaf Village one day, carrying with her only a change of clothes and an assortment of empty snack wrappers, wrapped in a cloth tied to the end of a stick.

The first thing she did was park her hundred pound ass on two stools, at the Ichiraku ramen shop stall.

"I'll take one of everything," she said, and pounded her fists and flabby arms on the table for emphasis. "Make sure that it's with all the additional flavorings!"

The old cook winced - clearly a marathon feast of ramen was the last thing this woman needed. He almost felt morally obligated to try to dissuade her from attempting to eat their over twenty signature dishes in one sitting, but she flashed a bulging coin purse at him and that was that.

Somewhere between the Teriyaki Supreme and the Baby Oyster Bowl, a man with spiky white hair sat beside her. He was actually Kakashi Hatake, one of the ninja on patrol that day, there to screen the rather large unexpected visitor. His mouth was covered by a mask, and his right eye by a headband with a steel plate at the center, so that his defining physical attribute was a disinterested cyclopean stare.

"If you're aiming to beat a record in ramen eating, you've still got a long way to go," he said, touching the tall stack of licked clean plates on the counter.

She wiped her mouth off on her sleeve then turned to him with a smile.

"Not at all," she said. "I just want to enjoy being able to eat as much as I want, while I still can."

"While you still can...?"

She showed him a flier that she had kept stashed in her obi.

"Super youthful training exercise regimen," Kakashi read from it, raising an eyebrow at the bust shot of a grinning man sporting a jet black bowl cut showing a thumbs-up pictured on it. "I don't mean to pry, but how is it you know about the Hidden Leaf Village?" After all, 'hidden' was included in the name for a reason.

"Well, I used to be invited to do shows here," she put down her chopsticks long enough to say, with a sad glimmer in her eye. "That was a long time ago, though."

Kakashi grunted. He tried to imagine a scene from one of his erotic novels, rather than venture to think of what kind of 'shows' this lady who was about to put Ichraku out of business used to put on.

She didn't dwell on the subject, though. After ordering the rest of her modest meal to go, she asked Kakashi for directions to 'the training dojo', which would at first seem like a funny thing to ask in a village full of ninja warriors.

"There are hundreds of training dojos in Konoha alone," Kakashi said. "Even so, I have a feeling I know which one you're interested in."

He took her to a large dome that was still being built on the outskirts of the village, at the edge of the surrounding forest. The most telling detail of its construction was a giant arm with a hand showing a thumbs-up sign, looming over a roughly paved circuit track within.

The woman fell to her knees, with one of the plastic bags that contained her tasty cargo draped over each shoulder, panting and sweating profusely. "Don't tell me you're actually one of the fitness coaches, and walking here was just the first trial," she said.

Kakashi shook his head.

"On the contrary, I believe I've found exactly the man you're looking for."

He pointed out a pair in matching skin-tight green spandex standing on the catwalk, in the process of lining up mud bricks to complete the wall.

"You mean a construction worker?"

The wheezing woman scratched her double chin, with a puzzled expression.

"This flyer says he's an expert in youthful exercise techniques."

It was like a bell had been struck in Might Guy's brain. The taller and older of the two men in spandex, he cracked a smile with teeth that gleamed when the light of the sun hit them, and startled Kakashi's portly companion when he turned to them sharply.

"What was that?" the odd beast said, holding a hand up to his ear. "If my ears don't deceive me, it sounded like a new client."

Rock Lee, whose idolization of his sensei was borderline creepy in how closely he imitated Guy's appearance and attitude down to his (bushy) eyebrows, seemed to also share in his excitement at that moment.

"I am also elated by this news, sir!" he said with vigor, but when his eyes locked onto the bloated little lady that was struggling to sneak a noodle out of a takeout container without it spilling, he died a little inside. "Guy-sensei, she's so..."

"Yeeeeaow!"

Before Lee could finish, Guy did a high front flip off the catwalk, only to land facefirst in the unpaved rock below. Kakashi pretended he didn't see it, scratching the back of his head as he looked away.

"How's about we discuss this...over a healthy, balanced lunch?" Guy said with his face still down, holding up a finger. "My treat, of course!"

Rock Lee copied Guy's acrobatic maneuver, only he managed to stick the landing. "We must not neglect to introduce ourselves, first! I am Rock Lee, Chunin rank, and skilled student of the Flying Lotus style."

He looked at the woman expectantly, but she seemed to be at a loss for words.

Guy pulled his head out of the ground, where a crater in the shape of his face had formed. "You already know Might Guy, your glorious and energetic trainer," he said. "So tell us, which village do you hail from? What is your jutsu style? Your rank? Your purpose for wanting to become stronger? And of course, your name?" He shoved his face closer to hers with each question. "How about your weight measured in tonnes or anvils, whichever you prefer?"

The woman shrugged, wondering whether to be amused or offended by the anvil quip. Truth be told she was not a 'ninja', so most of what the two were saying went right over her head.

Furthermore, her declaration that she was from "the Fire Nation" was only met with head scratching and confused expressions. Whereas the ninja world was seperated into a countless number of hidden villages, the world as she knew it was split into just four primary nations; those of Water, Earth, Air, and her homeland of Fire.

"My name is Ty Lee," she said at last, bowing timidly so that a curtain of brown hair fell over one side of her face. This time, they would definitely understand.

"Ty Lee, huh?" Guy rubbed his chin pretending to be deep in thought, but he was more like a mussel in a tide pool. "I like the sound of it!"


End file.
